Juliet Greene

As we move into fall, the cooler weather typically also brings a desire to seek deeper, more complex, and warm flavors in our beverages and food. And nothing goes quite as well with changing leaves, football and gatherings around the firepit—than bourbon. Whether over the rocks or incorporated into a savory or sweet dish, bourbon is a go-to flavor of fall.

COVID-19 has been the great disruptor of 2020 and it shows in the sauce and marinade flavor profiles currently trending. With many restaurants on either hiatus or using abbreviated menus for dine-in or take out, grocery retail trends are leading the way for manufacturers. Now forced to hunker down and self-quarantine, more consumers turn to sauces and marinades to keep home menus interesting.

US consumers are seeking hot and spicy flavor combinations, followed closely by savory. Menus and flavors are much more sophisticated than they have been in the past and the combinations of fresh, pickled, roasted and charred flavors really lend themselves to these profiles. Use of chiles and peppers specifically has increased on all menus and across several cuisines. With Americans welcoming heat to their palates, manufacturers can adapt more Hispanic and Latin flavors in their formulations.